Alaska Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign worked alongside national party operatives to recruit a Petersburg retiree sharing the name of Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan onto the midterm ballot, according to a New York Times investigation published Wednesday. The revelation reshapes one of the country’s Senate contests just days before voters decide control of the chamber.
The New York Times Investigation Details Democratic Ballot Recruits
National Democrats and Peltola campaign officials orchestrated the ballot maneuver during the summer of 2025, according to internal documents, text messages, and interviews obtained by the New York Times. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) introduced Peltola’s team to Jerid Kurtz, an Ohio-based political operative specializing in ballot composition tactics. Kurtz and campaign staff systematically searched public records for other individuals named Dan Sullivan in Alaska before successfully recruiting Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher with scant political experience who had previously voted for Democrats in presidential elections.
Elisa Rios, a former campaign manager whom Peltola fired in August, confirmed the recruitment effort to reporters, stating that Alaskans voters need to know,
though she later attempted to retract her statements. The DSCC denied involvement with the candidate, known on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., arguing via a spokesperson that Republicans possess a long history of propping up third-party candidates in competitive races across Alaska, Ohio, Montana, and North Carolina.
Trump Alleges Fraud and Files Lawsuits Over Dual Sullivan Ballot
Former President Donald Trump shared the Times report on Truth Social, characterizing the ballot scheme as election fraud and perjury. Mary Peltola should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done, A FRAUD ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, and Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot,
Trump wrote. The Trump administration previously filed a federal lawsuit against Alaska to block certification of the Senate election results if incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan narrowly loses due to voter confusion. Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC have filed motions asking a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, while civil rights groups including the ACLU, the League of Women Voters of Alaska, and Common Cause have sought to intervene.
Did you know?
Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference. In the August primary, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. secured 2.5% of the vote, advancing alongside incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan and Mary Peltola as one of the top four vote-getters. State election authorities attempted to disqualify the challenger prior to the primary, but the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that he qualified for the general election ballot.
Tight Polls and Early Voting Compete With Late-Stage Controversy
Polling leading up to the final week of the election indicates a tight race for the Senate seat. A New York Times/Siena poll conducted a month prior showed Peltola leading the incumbent senator by 7 points among likely voters, matching her primary day margin. Data For Progress polling released in October showed Peltola leading the simulated final round of ranked-choice voting 51% to 49%, as 7 in 10 Alaska voters reported anxiety over the cost of living and affording gas, utilities, and groceries.
Despite the late-stage political fallout, nearly 60,000 Alaskans had already cast early or absentee ballots by early this week, accounting for more than one-fifth of recent midterm turnout. For the challenger to alter the outcome under Alaska’s ranked-choice system, voters would need to rank Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and then exhaust their ballots without allocating a preference to the incumbent Republican senator, or rank the senator behind Peltola.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Alaska Senate Spoiler Investigation
Who is the second Dan Sullivan on the Alaska Senate ballot?
The second candidate is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retiree living in southeastern Alaska with scant political experience who registered as a Republican shortly before filing to run. State records show he voted in past presidential elections as a Democrat before changing his registration to undeclared.
NYT: Inside Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s BallotOperatives aligned with Mary Peltola, the Democratic nominee for Senate, spent months recruiting candidates to peel votes from Senator Dan Sullivan, the Republican.In the summer of 2025, a staffer for Mary Peltola,…
How did the DSCC and Peltola’s campaign find the alternative candidate?
According to documents reviewed by the New York Times, Peltola campaign officials worked with DSCC-introduced operative Jerid Kurtz starting in the summer of 2025 to locate and encourage individuals sharing the incumbent’s name to file for office.
What legal actions have followed the New York Times report?
The Trump administration previously filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block certification of the Senate election results if incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses. Peltola’s campaign, the DSCC, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters of Alaska, and Common Cause have all sought to intervene in the federal case.
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